It has been another great year for the gaming world. We’ve had a new Call of Duty, a return to form for the Zelda series, and proof that comic-book games don’t have to be half-baked film rehashes.

But that’s not to say it has been a flawless year for the gaming world. It never is. There is always the occasional title that makes us question why we bother playing games at all. Here is our roundup of the best and worst of this year.

The best of the best

One of our favourites this year has got to be Batman: Arkham City. Narrowly missing out of Game of the Year at the Spike VGAs last week, Arkham City is a brilliant follow-up to the also excellent Batman: Arkham Asylum.

With new moves, new gadgets and a load of new villains, Arkham City is an immersive gaming experience that delivers all the gothic mystique we’ve come to expect from Batman.

Another of our top games of 2011 is Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Released in November, Skyward Sword breathed fresh air into the flagging franchise, not to mention reigniting interest in the Wii (for the time being anyway).

No gam has used the Wii’s motion sensor technology as sublimely as Skyward Sword; it actually feels like you’re having a sword fight, rather than just flailing randomly. It’s no wonder that this won best Wii game at the Spike VGAs.

The worst of the rest

Just when we thought comic-book games had been put back on track by the caped crusader, along comes Thor: God of Thunder. We don’t know what’s worse about this game, the dire animation of the endless button-bashing.

Tied in with the release of the Thor film earlier this year, God of Thunder feels like it was knocked out over a weekend.

Another game we couldn’t leave out of the worst games list is the 101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix on the Nintendo Wii and DS.

Not so much a party as a mundane exercise in futility. Unfortunately, when you put 101 games into one, most of them are not going to be any good. That is the case here, as all manner of sports are boiled down to a simple button-bashing technique